What is a pitch deck presentation? – New startups rise and fall day after day. In a highly competitive market, having a good idea is not a guarantee for success.
Finding support to help you kickstart your business is the first obstacle you encounter as a new entrepreneur. And even when you finally manage to set up a meeting, you will have only 3 minutes to grab someone’s attention. This reason is that investors are very busy people.
That’s why a good, concise presentation (a pitch deck) is the sharpest tool in your shed you can use. It minimizes the time needed to introduce your story to your audience without losing any critical points down the road.
This article will cover pitch decks’ essential key points and will provide you with several pro tips when creating a presentation of your own.
By the end of the page, you will find out:
• What is a pitch deck, and what is the idea behind it
• The key elements/slides of a pitch deck
• Pro tips when creating your very own pitch deck
• Examples of successful pitch decks
• Where to find free pitch deck templates
What is a pitch deck presentation?
A pitch deck is a short presentation that consists of 10 to 20 slides. It’s designed to provide your clients, investors, or other types of audiences a brief insight into your business model, your company’s mission, or your startup vision.
There are several pitch deck variations, and every single one has its unique purpose. Whether you’re trying to acquire that essential funding, present your ideas to your superiors/colleagues, or spread the knowledge among your students, a pitch deck is an excellent method of presentation.
Critical elements of a pitch deck presentation
1. Introduction
Tell people who you are, why you are here and why they should listen to you. Be concise and make sure to set the mood of the presentation with your introduction phase.
When presenting your company, a promotional video can be a suitable introduction method. However, make sure it does not take up too much of the presentation time.
2. Team
Introduce the core members of your team, the masterminds behind the idea, and briefly elaborate their roles. Then, think outside the box – use an interactive slide to engage the audience more or a visual map with photos of your team members.
By far, an essential part of any pitch deck is the team slide. It’s of utmost importance that the investors see a serious, dedicated, and the responsible team behind your idea.
3. Problem
Identify one or several problems your product will try to solve. Then, go straight for the jugular, make sure the audience can catch up with you and that they have an easy time understanding the problem(s) identified.
Let’s elaborate on the example of Bumble – a dating app that is currently in the marketing world’s focus since its owner became the youngest self-made woman billionaire. This simple app is yet another dating app on the market. But, which problem does it solve?
One of the focuses of the app designers is coming from the other dating apps where women are being bombarded with inappropriate content 24/7.
4. Solution
Please elaborate on the problem’s solution your product will deal with compared to what’s already on the market. Focus on your fundamental value proposition. Explain why your idea is better/has a more efficient approach to the problem when compared to the solutions now in use.
Bumble app proposed the solution for a problem that persists in the dating app world – women are empowered to make the first step and initiate interactions with their matches. Also, there’s a higher chance of a conversation happening – the games expire in 24 hours if no texts were exchanged.
5. Product
Explain the mechanism and features of your product. An example is always a great idea – it’s storytime! Stories are a powerful tool to capture the listener’s attention and help them identify with your target audience whose problem you are solving.
6. Advantages
Indeed you are not the first person in the world to capture this problem and design a possible solution. So, how is your idea different? What makes your product stand out? What’s the key difference when compared to other solutions?
This is the main slide of your pitch deck that holds the potential for your company growth, marketing strategies, and investment opportunities. Do not take it lightly – carefully think through every phrase you use and the power it brings.
Let’s get back to our example. Bumble’s idea was to create an app that would allow women to have more control over their matches and the conversations they’re having. The concept of Bumble is that women are the ones who can send the message first, not men.
From a storytelling perspective, the founder of Bumble and her team could share only a few experiences from apps like Tinder or Baddoo to highlight why their app is female-friendly. Nevertheless, the Bumble app indicated its advantages – only women can make the outreach first, which is an impactful difference compared to Bumble’s competitor apps.
7. Traction
Fancy numbers should not just indicate that you did your homework. Instead, it should be a great indicator of growth, room for improvement and expansion, and proof of future potential.
8. Market
Show your skills of quantifying your target market (take your best guess at least). Then, try to describe the reach you’re willing to achieve.
You can use standard methods such as The Buyer Persona or other creative approaches to demonstrate how well you know your target group.
9. Competition
Explain the alternative solutions which are your direct competition. Elaborate on why your product is different and better.
Visualize your data. Make a comparison chart showing your strengths compared to the weaknesses of your competitors.
10. Business Model
This is what the investors want to hear the most: how will you make money. So first, explain your plan of earning revenue. Then, provide an estimate about when the profit is going to flow in.
Map out all your assets and potentials for business growth. How will you develop in your first year, and where do you see your business heading after 3 or 5 years?
11. Contact information
At the very end, leave your contact information so that people can reach you easily. Make sure to list out the person responsible for handling these kinds of inquiries.
This is also the place for your website, social media, and the final logo of your startup.
Pro tips for designing your presentation
Although many excellent presentation templates are existing on the world wide web, several guidelines can be extracted from the very best pitch decks:
1. First impression
By far, the most critical aspect of your pitch deck. During the first 4-5 minutes, your clients/investors/audience will acquire a firm grasp of your attributes and what you’re capable of. Use those minutes wisely.
2. Tell your own story
Everybody loves a good story! Share your vision and what drives you to be the best at what you do.
Talk about your early beginnings as a team and try adding a few funny details in between – it should set the tone for the rest of the presentation.
3. One slide – one idea
It’s essential to captivate the audience’s attention to a singular idea, one at a time. Don’t mix apples and oranges. One slide tells only one story at a time.
4. Introduce your team/the people behind you
Let your client know you and your team members. Go into detail about every member’s obligations and duties. Talk about their previous accomplishments.
5. Metrics – numbers are important
Do your homework – put those numbers in the presentation and learn to master them. A good, confident attitude speaks volumes.
6. Consistent design
It will make the presentation look numerous times more professional if you stick to the same font, font size, and color. Keep the consistency of the design throughout the presentation. It’s a great idea to put your startup logo on every slide.
7. Time
Do not let your presentation become a behemoth. Keep it concise, spread your time per slide wisely, be efficient. The attention lifespan of an average pitch deck viewer is around ten slides. Anything above double of that amount is considered to be a bad pitch deck.
8. Engage with the audience
It’s essential to maintain eye contact with your audience. Don’t bury your head in the script or stare into the slides all the time. Instead, engage with the viewers, practice hand gestures, and be as vocal as possible.
9. Text to pictures ratio
During the presentation, it is of utmost importance for the viewers to visualize the presented information. Therefore, find the perfect ratio between the text and the relevant pictures or videos you want to show.
Best pitch deck presentation examples
1. WorldFair
A pitch deck from the WorldFair company is used to present its partners the idea of implementing the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) strategy into their business model, with the help of the WorldFair program.
Based on the audience they are trying to reach, this pitch deck was made in two versions: a presentation and a promotional video.
2. AirBnB
This pitch deck is one of the most sought-after pitch deck templates of our time (mainly because the pitch deck itself raised around $500 thousand in 2009, the same year it was created).
Straight off the bat, the AirBnB 10-slide pitch deck template will give you a great example of how to quickly and effectively attract the investor’s attention.
The sheer power of a strong slogan and words, in general, to explain an idea thoroughly is powerfully represented in this template.
3. Facebook
The focus of this pitch deck was based on metrics and numbers. A fully branded pitch deck (notice the brand consistency: the recognizable shade of blue Facebook is famous for in every slide possible) is very important to make an impression.
It also shows that the business owners are serious about an idea they are representing to their audience.
Where to find free pitch deck templates online
1. Canva
Fully customizable, these pitch deck templates will help you paint a perfect picture for your audiences – there are some great examples for the fashion, technology, and education industry pitch decks.
2. Visme
If you’re looking for professionally designed pitch deck templates to impress your investors, this website is the place to go. Among free templates available, you can quickly pick up the skill of pitching with visual assistance.
3. Piktochart
This online pitch deck creator will surely help you create captivating sales, investment, product, or startup pitch decks.
4. SlidesGo
With a massive database of pictures for the pitch deck templates, there’s a high chance that you’ll be able to find the pitch deck template for your needs.
See also:
50+ Best Pitch Deck Template by Startups
RRSlide: A Look Inside the Best Pitch Deck Marketplace
5 Ideas to Hook Up Right Venture Capital with Presentation Pitch Deck
Conclusion
Based on the audience they are trying to reach, this pitch deck was made in two versions: a presentation and a promotional demo video.
If you’re having some issues with stage fright, it’s always a good idea to practice in front of/with your friends. Then, you’ll be more prepared for Demo Day when it comes. Also, when creating your very own pitch deck – recall the tips as mentioned above and critical points, and surely you’ll be on the right track.
Remember – the primary purpose of a pitch deck is not to secure the funding you need. It’s to make it to your second meeting with your investors/partners. Thank you for reading this article about “What Is a Pitch Deck Presentation?”
Let’s visit RRSlide to download free PowerPoint presentation templates with many categories. But wait, don’t go anywhere and stay here with our Blog to keep up-to-date on all the best pitch deck template collections and design advice from our PowerPoint experts yet to come!
Author bio: Nina Petrov is a content writer, passionate about graphic design, content marketing, and the new generation of green and social businesses. She starts the day scrolling her digest on recent digital trends while sipping a cup of coffee with milk and sugar. Her little white bunny tends to reply to your emails when she is on vacation.
